We Can Help If You’ve Been Injured In An Elevator Accident
With so many elevators toiling away every day in New York City, there are bound to be a few problems.
We Protect The Rights of Injury Victims All Over New York
People who visit, live, or work in the Bronx often use elevators on a daily basis to navigate through our multi-story buildings. With so many elevators toiling away, there are bound to be problems. When an elevator malfunctions, people can get hurt. Your life can change instantly if you suffer injury because of someone else’s negligence or wrongful act. You might not be able to keep working or enjoy life as you used to.
How You Can Get Hurt in an Elevator in the Bronx
Your medical costs can add up quickly and make you worry about how you will pay for them. You might need ongoing medical and personal care because of your injuries. An elevator accident lawyer in the Bronx can help you go after compensation for your losses. There is almost no limit to the ways you can suffer injury in an elevator. Here are a few examples:
- The elevator cable or pulley system can break, causing severe or fatal injuries to the passengers when the cab crashes to the bottom of the elevator shaft.
- The doors can close suddenly, crushing hands, arms, feet, and legs between the doors.
- The elevator can stop or move unexpectedly, tossing the riders about in the cab and causing head or neck injuries.
- People can slip and fall when entering or exiting an elevator, fracturing or breaking bones.
- Electrical or circuit failures in the cab can cause burn injuries or electrocution.
- Overcrowded elevators can cause back injuries, even paralysis.
- Misalignment of the cab with the floor (when the cab is several inches higher or lower than the level of the floor when the doors to the cab open) can cause people entering or leaving the cab to stumble, suffering broken bones or head injuries.
- The cab can get stuck between floors, requiring the passengers to climb out of the cab. This situation can cause horrific injuries from falls and crushing.
- An intentional act like horseplay or an assault can cause a variety of injuries.
Our Team Can Start Working for You from the Moment You Call
When it comes to litigation, there is no time to waste. Once you call our office, we can start building your case in your fight for compensation. In three short steps, your legal journey can begin today.
- Free Case Evaluation: call our office, send us an email, or chat with us online to receive a free case evaluation.
- Get Signed Up: after your free case review, we can set up your client profile and gather any information you already have.
- Start Your Recovery: we can take over your case from here and update you as it progresses. You can focus on your health while we focus on your case.
Common Legal Questions
The personal injury claims process begins when an injury victim submits a claim to an insurance company. Typically, they will file this claim against the insurer for the party who caused the accident. The insurance company will assign an adjuster to investigate the claim. If the adjuster determines the insurance company is liable for the accident, it will offer a settlement to cover the victim’s damages. However, these settlement offers don’t always fully account for the victim’s losses. If they determine the insurer is not liable, they will deny the claim.
A personal injury case is a legal action that arises from an accident or injury. Typically, these cases are based on negligence. An injury claim provides a way for the victim to recover compensation for losses they’ve experienced due to the incident. Personal injury cases typically arise from motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, slip and falls, medical malpractice, and other injury-causing events.
Accident victims are entitled to damages for all losses sustained in an accident. These damages come in two broad forms. Economic damages compensate victims for direct financial losses related to the accident. These include medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, and more. Non-economic damages cover non-financial losses that don’t have a clear financial value. Examples include pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, reduced quality of life, and loss of consortium.
When searching for a personal injury lawyer, you should ask questions about their experience, services and results. You only have one chance to recover and finding the right lawyer can make a big difference in the final outcome of your case, the level of services that you receive, and the amount of compensation that you are awarded. Want more information? Read our full article here.
Personal injury lawyers help victims recover compensation for injuries and damages that someone else’s negligence caused. They do this by helping clients with insurance claims and/or civil lawsuits. Want to learn more? Read our full article here.
You do not need a personal injury lawyer, but one can benefit you in many ways following an accident resulting in serious physical harm. Severe injuries can lead to expensive medical care, extended absences from work, pain and suffering, and other damages. Read our full article to find out more about when it’s right to hire a personal injury lawyer.
Damages in Elevator Accidents
We handle elevator accident injury cases in which people have suffered trauma including catastrophic loss, burns, broken bones, paralysis, permanent scarring, disfigurement, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and amputation/loss of limb. We also handle wrongful death claims. An elevator accident lawyer in the Bronx can help you go after compensation for all your losses, like:
- Money Damages for Past and Current Pain and Suffering Caused by Injuries
- Future Pain and Suffering
- Lost Wages
- Lost Union Benefits
- Loss of Companionship or Consortium
Parties That Can Be Liable for an Elevator Accident Injury
The parties who can be liable will depend on the specific facts of your case. Sometimes, more than one person made a mistake that led to the accident. In those situations, we can go after multiple parties to pay for your losses. Here are some examples of potential defendants in elevator accident lawsuits:
- Building owner, if the owner failed to take reasonable measures to provide safe elevators for building tenants and visitors.
- Building management company, if the firm failed to make sure that the elevators were functional and safe.
- Elevator manufacturer, if a defect in the design or manufacturing of the elevator caused the accident.
- Elevator installer, if incorrect installation caused or contributed to the accident and injuries.
- Elevator maintenance company, if the company hired to maintain the elevators failed to keep them in proper and safe working condition.
- Someone else whose carelessness or intentional wrongful act caused your injury, such as someone who caused your injury by engaging in horseplay or assaulting you.
How We Prove Negligence
Before we can hold someone responsible to pay you compensation, we must prove their liability for your injuries. We have to prove the following elements to establish responsibility for your losses:
- Duty. The defendant must have owed you a legal duty of care. For example, the building owner had a responsibility to provide safe elevators for foreseeable visitors to the building.
- Breach of the duty of care. When someone does not perform at the level of care required by law, it is negligence. Let’s say that the building owner knew the elevator had been malfunctioning but had postponed the scheduling of repairs due to the expense. In this situation, the building owner violated the duty of care and was, thereby, negligent.
- Causation. The negligence must be the thing that caused the accident and injury. If the elevator malfunctioned and caused injury to people riding in it, the negligence of the building owner in postponing necessary repairs caused or contributed to the harm.
- Damages. You suffered damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, etc.
We’re Ready to Review Your Case and Fight for You
We are proud to serve our clients who live or work in the Bronx. We are active in helping the community. Many of our clients feel as if they are going to see a family friend when they come to our offices. We will be straightforward with you and tell you the truth. When we take care of your elevator accident injury claim, you can focus on getting well and rebuilding your life.
An elevator accident lawyer in the Bronx can come to you at the hospital or in your home. We do not charge upfront legal fees. Our legal fees come out of the settlement or award. Call Oresky & Associates, PLLC today at (929) 305-0949 for a free consultation.